Garage door operating mechanism



Jan. 19, 1960 H. H. CAMPBELL GARAGE DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Dec.21, 1956 2 .4. wk: W E 1- Q F w 7 "U V p N 7 v/ w 2 ZSnnentor H. CA PEELGttornegs United States Patent O GARAGE DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM HenryH. Campbell, East Cleveland, Ohio Application December 21, 1956, SerialNo. 629,844

1 Claim. (Cl. 268-58) i This invention relates to garage door operatingmechanism, and primarily to mechanism for operating overhead doors,although not necessarily limited thereto.

More specifically the invention provides for controlling or effecting amovement of the door by manipulating a flexible means, without requiringthe operator to alight from the car.

While the arrangement is generally limited to effecting the. closingmovement of a garage door from the drivers seat in an automobile, it isof such simple'compact construction as will enable it to be installedforoperation of existing doors, or at the time of initial construction ofthe garage and installation of the doors therefor.

In view of the foregoing it is a principal object of this invention toprovide a mechanism which may be simply constructed and installed toenable a person to close a garage door without leaving the vehicle.

A further object of the invention is to provide garage door closingmeans which may be operated during movement of the vehicle, by theoperator, direct operation being effected by flexible means grasped bythe operator.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide mechanism of the classdescribed which avails of flexible means, which are connected to thedoor, do not interfere with normal opening movement of the doorandetfect closing movement as stated, from a position in the vehicle, saidflexible means being retrieved by the mechanism and able to be availedof for repeated manipulation for the closing of the door.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism whichmay as readily be availed of to effect closing of double width garagedoors as doors of single width, primarily of the over head type.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel arrangement toposition the flexible operating means for manipulation, and by reason ofthe manipulation and the manner of effecting the same, cause theflexible means to be released and retrieved by suitableinstrumentalities provided.

Other 'and further objects of the invention, as well as the advantages,together with the constructional features thereof are set forth in thespecification appended hereto and disclosed in the drawing wherein: I

Figure 1 is a sectional, somewhat diagrammatic view illustrating aconventional garage, the arrangement of the usual over head door thereinand the location of the mechanism of which this specification is thesubject.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, likewise being somewhatdiagrammatic showing different positions of automobile from which thegarage door may be manipulated by the means thereof.

Figure 3 is a perspective view, somewhat fragmentary in nature of oneform of. operating mechanism, which is primarily availed of formanipulating doors of the double width, over head type;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in section illustrating the garage doorin closed position, andethe various fea- Figure 5 is a fragmentarysectional view taken about 2,921,782 Patented Jan. 19, 1960 2' on theline 55 of Figure 4 looking in the direction of the arrows illustratingfurther in detail, somewhat enlarged, certain parts of the operatingmechanism.

Referring to Figure 1, the invention is shown as having been installedin a conventional garage generally indicated at A, which garage hasmounted for up and down movement therein an over head door generallydesignated 1 comprised of the usual four sections, the ends of thesections being provided with suitable rollers for operating in tracksdesignated 2' at opposite sides of the garage so that the door mayassume the position shown in Figure 1 wherein the same is in opencondition. The automobile which enters into the operation of thisinvention is designated at B as being located, in Figure 1, within thegarage and preliminaryto backing the same out of the garage.

Referring now to Figure 4, the operating mechanism hereof, is shown inone position, in enlarged condition and will be related to Figure l bycorresponding numerals as usual.

The door as initially indicated being generally indicated at 1 includesthe sections 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d, the section denoted 1a being at theuppermost portion of the door and'as seen in Figure 1 provided on itsrearward side with a suitable bracket designated 3 which may be fastenedas by means of any suitable screws such as 4 to the door itself and isin turn aligned with a corresponding bracket, somewhat after the mannerof the disclosure of Figure 3, the bracket in this case being designated5 as contrasted with the initially designatedv bracket 3.

Between the brackets 3 and 5 is a suitable reel 6, which reel 6 ispivotally mounted on the brackets at 7 for rotation therebetween. Thereel 6 is provided with a coil spring 8 dead ended at 9 andsuitablyconnected to the bracket 3 at 10 whereby the unwinding tendency of thespring 8 is in a clockwise direction.

Suitably reeved about the reel 6 is a flexible means 11 which may be acable or its equivalent, the flexible means 11 passing through anopening 12 formed in the upper portion of the door section 1a.

Suitably mounted adjacent the jamb designated 13 of the garageillustrated in Figure l, and supported beneath the header designated14-, is a device which is designated 15 and may be called a positioningmeans for purposes as will subsequently appear.

The cable or flexible means 11 as illustrated in Figure 4 passes intoand through the positioning means 15 previ ously mentioned, and ismanipulated as will be described in view of the construction of suchpositioning means which is nowset forth.

The positioning means 15 includes a housing which forms a passage way16, the housing in plan being generally rectangular and likewise inelevation, including a side wall 17, an oppositely disposed side wall18, and an end wall 19, the side walls 17 and 18 terminating in theirupper extremities in the flanges 21 and 22 respectively, the flanges 21and 22 affording means for connecting the entire device as by the screws23 to the header 14.

Parallel to the end wall 19 previously mentioned is a pair of flanges 25and 26 formed with the respective side walls 17 and 18 as seen in Figure5, a U-shaped plate 27 spanning the distance between such flanges andbeing fastened thereto as by means of suitable bolts 28.

The U-shaped plate 27 is provided with a lip 29, Seen in both Figures 4and 5 over which the cable or flexible means. 11 is trained.

Likewise the U-shaped plate 27 is provided with a dog 30,.pivota1lymounted at 31 and adapted to extend into and adjacent the side wall 17as illustrated in Figure 5 in order to engage with and grip the flexiblemeans 11, when the said flexible means is in the generally verticalposition illustrated in Figure 4, with the handle 11a of the saidflexible means about in the position in that figure. A suitable spring32 is provided to tend to maintain the dog 38 in the position shown inFigure 5, the dog 30 being of relatively narrow width, sufiicient togrip the flexible means 11 but only when the said flexible means 11 isin the position with the handle 11a thereof as shown in Figure 4.

Also mounted within the housing 15 is a suitable pulley 34, which isengaged by the flexible means 11 when the same assumes the dotted lineposition indicated in Figure 4 at a substantial angle to the vertical.The manipulation of the handle 711a into the dotted line position shownin Figure 4 also causes the flexible means 11 to be withdrawn from theposition whereby the same may be gripped as shown in Figure 5 by'the dog30, thus actually atfording release of the flexible means 11 inaccordance with the desired operation of the device as will besubsequently set forth. It should be pointed out that a suitable stop11b isprovided on the flexible means 11, the stop 11b abutting the loweredge of the housing 15 as will be readily understood.

The operation of the device will now be described in relation to thesequential manipulations resorted to, the constructional details of thevarious parts having been described as to one modification.

Assuming that the door 1 is in the position of Figure 4 with the section1a adjacent the header 14 as shown in that figure, the door is graspedby a suitable handle provided in any conventional door, although notshown in this drawing, and raised into the position shown in Figure 1whereby the door as a whole overlies car or automobile B and is in theupper portion of the garage 7 adjacent the roof thereof as guided thereby the tracks 2 provided.

It will be understood that during the raising movement of the door 1 tothe position shown in Figure 1, the flexible'means 11 as to the handle11a will have remained'in about the position of Figure 4 and a spring 8will have been Wound up by extension or unrolling action of the reel 6.

Thereafter-the person who is going to back the car out of the garagegrasps the handle 11a and positions the same about as shown in Figure 1so that the handle 11a may be grasped in the left hand as the car isbacked out of the garage.

As the car is backed out of the garage, the person grasps the handle 11aand retains a grip thereon, whilst maneuvering the car rearwardly.

As the car reaches the full line position shown in Figure 2, the doorwill have commenced to move downwardly by reason of the fact that theflexible means 11 will have been fully extended or unrolled from thereel 6 and since it is fastened ,at that end to the reel, will act as adead end for the initial purposes hereof.

As the car reaches the position shown in Figure 2 in dotted lines, itwill be assumed that the .door 1 has likewise reached the dotted lineposition shown in such figure with the flexible means 11 extended asshown in the dotted lines. Thereafter the flexible means is re -leased,and by reason of the fact that the spring 8 will tend to. Wind the meansup in the clockwise direction the said 'flexiblemeans will beretrievedand wound on thereel 6. 1

It will be understood that as the car "B backed outwardly from theposition shown in Figure l and the apparent that release of the handle11a in the dotted line position of Figure 2 will permit-the flexiblemeans 11 to be. retrieved by the reel .6 under the action of the spring.8. 7

It will be of course readily understood that the closing movement of thegarage door 1 has thereby been effected from the seat of the-automobilefrom which the operator has manipulated the flexible means 11 and thesaid flexible means has returned to its initial position for subsequentoperation in the manner specified.

In the Figure 3 disclosure 2. suitable arrangement is providedforoperating of doors of greater widths or if the person desires it ofcourse may be arranged for operating narrower doors.

In this instance the reel 6 is shown as being mounted on the header 14of the garage opening as contrasted with the former position whereinthe'said reel was carried by the door throughout the various movementcycles described.

' In the disclosure of Figure 3 the flexible means will be designated 40as'be'ing suitably engaged with the reel 6 the reel 6 of course beingprovided with'a spring such as 8 illustrated in Figure 4.? The flexiblemeans 40 passes over a pair of rollers 41 and 42 mounted on the upperedge 43 of the garage door generally designated 44, the purpose of theserollers 41 and 42 being apparent as desirable to prevent the undue wearon the flexible means 4-!) as the garage door moves through thepositions customarily assumed and illustrated specifically in Figures 1and 2 for example. 7

After the flexible means 40 has passed over the rollers 41 and 42 forexample ,it may be reeved'over a pulley 45 carried on a bracket 46fastened. to the inner surface or face of the door 44. The flexiblemeans may thereupon be extended toward the other end of the door andover a further pulley 47 carried .by a bracket 48 and thereafter theflexible means will go through an opening 49 provided in the door andthe opening 49 being like that of the opening 12 in Figure 4,;theflexible means 40 being trained through the unit including the meansgenerally designated 15, all the other parts and arrangements being thesame, as previously described.

It will be apparent that manipulation of thehandle40a may be resorted toto cause the flexible means 40 to move in the same manner as was true ofthe flexible means 11, and the flexible means 40 may thereafter bereleased when the garage door 44 has been moved to closed condition.

I claim:

In door operating mechanism of the class described, in combination,bodily movable retrieving means, a flexible element connected therewithso as to be retrieved thereby, said element .being reeved with respectto a garage door where by pulling of the element will cause the door tomove to closed position, positioning means in fixed position relativethe opening at which such door is mounted, said means being operable tomaintain the element extended substantially vertically downwardlyagainst the retrieving action and release said element when it ispositioned for movement at a substantial angle with respect to thevertical, release of said element thereafter causing the same to beretrieved by the retrieving means aforesaid, said retrieving meansincluding a reel and a spring connected thereto to cause the element tobe wound thereon, the positioning means includes a dog for engaging andgripping the element in the vertical position aforesaid, and the reel ismounted on a door for movement therewith, and the flexible elementextends outwardly of the door opening whereby to be gripped externallythereof. 7

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,291,029 Lamont Jan. 14, 1919 2,074,347, Steiner Mar. 23, 19372,119,335 LeTourneau May 31, 1938 2,166,746 Bartel July 18. 1939

